This invention relates to an apparatus and method of securing an intravascular or catheter tubing to a patient. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, this invention relates to an apparatus and method of eliminating tug trauma to a catheter site or intravascular therapy site on a patient.
Many times, a medical patient will require various types of treatments which require the use of intravascular (intravenous) or intracavity tubes in order to introduce fluids into the body or to drain fluids from the body. When this is done, a catheter tube, or needle with tube attached, is utilized in order to provide a medium for the fluid to flow into or from the body. The catheter or needle and the fluid source are fluidly connected by means of a tube, variously referred to as a catheter tube, intravenous tube, or medical tube.
The needle or catheter, therefor, is inserted into the body at the appropriate intravenous therapy or catheter site. Further, due to the different types of medical treatments, the catheter or intravenous needle may be required to remain in the site for long periods of time. It is therefore desirable that the catheter or intravenous needle be protected in order to prevent dislodging due to inadvertent or accidental tugging on the catheter or intravenous tubing.
Inadvertent or accidental tugging on the catheter or intravenous tubing often leads to site problems. In the case of an intravenous needle, such tugging can cause patient discomfort, fluid flow blockage, injury or perforation of the vein wall (the lume), site irritation and inflammation with sepsis, dislodgement of the needle, and infiltration of the introduced fluid into surrounding muscular tissue. In the case of an intracavity drainage catheter, such tugging can cause dislodgement of the catheter, fluid flow blockage, internal and site sepsis, and patient discomfort. In each case, if the site is not adequately protected from such tugging, serious medical complications can result.
At present, the most commonly used method of attempting to protect these sites from accidental or inadvertent tug trauma is to tape the tubing to a patient's body a few inches away from the intravenous needle or intracavity catheter site. Sometimes the tubing is taped to the body in more than one place. With time and repeated patient movement, tugs on the tubing frequently cause the tape to lose its adhesive grip on the tubing, even though it may retain its grip on the patient's skin. This permits the tugging, in increasing degrees as the tape fails to grip the tubing, to be transmitted to the intravenous needle or intracavity catheter site with resultant hazardous and unsafe conditions, particularly if the patient is in a critical medical condition.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,590 to Kalt, the patent discloses an IV Clamp With Membrane Dressing wherein a first and second clamp is utilized for holding an article to an object. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,995 to Levine a Catheter Clamp is disclosed. The patent claims a holder for clamping in place a catheter on a patient's body, which holder includes a pliant adhesive-bearing base which is adhered to the patient's skin.
A Catheter Retention Device And Method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,616 to Nowak et al. In particular, this patent describes a device for retaining a catheter in place at its point of entry into the patient's body. Another type of device is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,388 to Page regarding a Medical Tube Holder. This patent describes an article for attaching a medical tube to the body of a patient. Also, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,587 to Mera involving an Intravenous Line Stabilizing Device. The invention describes a device for affixing a medical tube to a part of a body. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,057 to Joishy the inventor claims a Built-In Assembly For Stabilizing And Securing Intravascular Needle Or Catheter Like Device.
In addition, Dow Corning has offered for sale a suprapubic drainage system under the brand name SILASTIC.RTM. CYSTOPATH which contains as one of its elements a circular disc having a tube retaining member extending across the disc diameter and provided with an opening in the member extending vertically through the disc for receiving a catheter.
Despite these numerous inventions, none of the above apparatus presents a simple, easily constructed, and easily adaptable device which effectively prevents tug trauma to a catheter or intravenous needle site. In addition, some of these prior art devices are either too complicated, or lack simplicity in design and make the use and manufacture cost prohibitive. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to have a device which efficiently prevents tug trauma to a catheter or intravenous needle site caused either by medical personnel movement of peripheral equipment, or alternatively, patient movement.